This is the map I came up with after studying the results from the 1960 election, as well as comparisons to 1956. It is a bit shocking that Alaska and Hawaii were so narrow (Nixon actually won the first count in Hawaii), and I don't think anyone could imagine Maryland, California, Illinois, West Virginia (more recent), or plenty of other states on this map as battlegrounds today.

I can only image how crazy campaigning would be in 2016 if there were this many swing states.

It would be great. Campaigns would actually be about developing and delivering a palatable, broad-based, centrist national message instead of data mining and driving up base turnout in only a handful of states.

North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, were not competitive in 1960. Nixon won all of them by landslides. Except North Dakota, the others made up 4 of his 5 best states (with the other one being Vermont).